Today, the people of Venezuela are suffering another violation of their fundamental rights and freedoms at the hands of the corrupt Maduro regime. The illegitimate, so-called "inauguration" of Maduro to a second, six-year term is the result of last May's fraudulent voting exercise, condemned by Venezuelan and international observers because it did not reflect true democratic principles and practices.

U.S. Agency for International Development Administrator Mark Green traveled to Haiti from December 18-21. During his visit, the Administrator toured USAID-funded programs in health, agriculture, and entrepreneurship, and met with representatives from the Haitian Government, the private sector, donor partners, and faith-based organizations.

I commend President Trump for signing into law H.R. 1918, the Nicaraguan Human Rights and Anticorruption Act of 2018, also known as the Nica Act, sponsored by Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-FL) and Congressman Albio Sires (D-NJ). I would also like to commend the leadership of Senators Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Ted Cruz (R-TX), Patrick Leahy (D-VT), Marco Rubio (R-FL), and Bill Nelson (D-FL).

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID), represented by Acting Deputy Administrator David Moore, and the Secretariat for the Aid of Persecuted Christians of the Government of Hungary, represented by Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Levente Magyar, signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on Tuesday, December 18, 2018. The objective of the MOU is to increase coordination to help communities in the Middle East recover from genocide and persecution by the Islamic State of Iraq and Syria (ISIS).

VIENTIANE, LAO PDR – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) presented a handbook on the use of natural dyes in handicraft production to the Ministry of Industry and Commerce (MOIC) of the Lao PDR at a handover ceremony on December 11, 2018, in Vientiane. The event, which was held at Salana Boutique Hotel, was chaired by Dr. Alexandria Huerta, Director of USAID’s Laos Country Office, and Mrs.

The United States Embassy, in cooperation with the Ministry of Industry and Commerce, hosted the Third Lao Digital Forum on December 14, 2018. The forum focused on opportunities for e-commerce in Lao PDR and how to best encourage its growth. It was chaired by Minister of Industry and Commerce Khemmani Pholsena, U.S. Ambassador Rena Bitter, and German Ambassador Jens Peter Lütkenherm. More than a hundred and fifty representatives from government ministries, private firms, domestic and foreign business leaders, and non-governmental organizations attended.

Today, the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) announced the winners of its 2018 Digital Development Awards (Digi Awards), which recognize USAID projects’ innovative use of digital technologies and data to advance international development. USAID helps developing countries with their journey to self-reliance by empowering them with digital tools that enable them to build their commitment and capacity to solve their own development challenges.

What we try to do is reach out and tap into the private sector for ingenuity and innovation. So, with some of the offerings that we have, we simply turn to the private sector and say, "Give us your best idea. Whatever you've got, let's see it." And when we try to put together the most innovative ideas and the most effective ideas, you know, using our development measurement impact tools, and that's how we make our decisions. And also, you know, I will say, as a conservative -- a former conservative member of Congress, let's be under no illusion about how the world is working these days. China, which is not a libertarian country that bleeds into the private sector, is in just about every country in the world. And what they are doing, I don't classify as "development." It's predatory financing, and what they are seeking to do is to lock up strategic assets and strategic resources, not necessarily in ways that are in the interests of the United States of America and our close allies and partners. We're in a time of competition. Our force and advantage is in tapping into private enterprise and tapping into markets. So, we don't pick winners and losers. We do try to harness the energy of private enterprise. We do that, I'm not worried about the competition.

Yesterday, President Trump signed into law the Iraq and Syria Genocide Relief and Accountability Act of 2018, sponsored by Congressman Chris Smith (R-NJ) and Congresswoman Anna Eshoo (D-CA). The bill, which received broad bipartisan support in the Congress, is another tangible demonstration of the United States' support for international religious freedom and survivors of genocide in Iraq and Syria.

On Wednesday, December 12, Administrator Mark Green of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) will participate in a discussion at the American Enterprise Institute. The Administrator will highlight USAID's new Private-Sector Engagement (PSE) Policy, which outlines ways the Agency will expand collaboration with the private sector significantly to sustain and expand results and drive forward the goal of ending the need for foreign assistance.

On behalf of the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), I would like to congratulate Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, on the substantial progress made in the first two years of its 2016-2020 Strategy, as highlighted in the Mid-Term Review (MTR) that is taking place in Abu Dhabi, in the United Arab Emirates, from December 10-11, 2018. By then, funding from Gavi will have helped the world's poorest countries immunize 700 million people, which has helped to save 10 million lives since the Alliance's establishment in 2000.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Assistant Administrator for Europe and Eurasia Brock Bierman will travel to U.S. European Command, Azerbaijan, and Armenia from December 11 - December 20.

On this International Human Rights Day, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) reaffirms our commitment to promoting and advancing human rights and human dignity around the world. As the Universal Declaration of Human Rights proclaims, the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family are the foundation of freedom, justice, and peace in the world. On behalf of the American people, USAID works to advance those ideals each day. As we strive to promote democratic values abroad, and advance a free, peaceful, and prosperous world, we recognize that support for the human rights of all is critical towards advancing our mission.

In the aftermath of the horrors of World War II, the global community came together to recognize genocide formally as a crime under international law and an affront to the values of a civilized world. On this day of remembrance, we honor the memory of the victims of these unspeakable crimes by recommitting to ourselves to what should always be a shared ethos of "Never Again."

Let's be clear. There are two very different competing models of development and relief in the world. One approach, the authoritarian approach, is really predatory lending dressed up as assistance. It lures borrowers with promises of easy money but then straddles them with unsustainable debt. It ties up strategic assets. It ties up resources for years to come. Some have called it debt diplomacy. Others have called it loan-to-own assistance.

Our approach, the American approach, on the other hand, moves countries from being recipients to partners to fellow donors. It's based upon the notion of a hand-up not a hand-out, and it helps position countries to grasp their own future. The authoritarian approach treats assistance as it does all else, a state secret, so they have ribbon cuttings that are very public for those buildings and roads, but all that glitters is not gold. Ask about the fine print, or meeting engineering codes, or impact on habitat, and they'll simply turn the other way. Of the 45 nations assessed by the AID Transparency Index, China finishes dead last. Our approach is built on transparency. MCC releases its score cards. USAID releases our self-reliance road maps, and nearly all USG assistance can be seen on foreignassistance.gov.

U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Acting Assistant Administrator Eddy Acevedo will travel to Bogota, Colombia December 3-7. His visit is a follow-up to Administrator Green's July meetings with the Colombian Government. Acting Assistant Administrator Acevedo will meet with Colombian government officials to discuss the U.S.-Colombian partnership and ongoing efforts to support Venezuelans fleeing the Maduro regime.

Today, on behalf of the global USAID team, I wish to express my heartfelt condolences to the Bush family on the passing of President George H.W. Bush. Throughout his long life, President Bush represented the very best of the American spirit, a spirit of both humble generosity as well as indomitable resolve in the face of tyranny.

Tomorrow, on World AIDS Day, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) will celebrate the 15th anniversary of the U.S. President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief - PEPFAR. USAID has been a proud implementer of PEPFAR since President George W. Bush launched it in 2003.